English English English - Japanese English - Korean English - Spanish Japanese - English Spanish - English English English - Japanese English - Korean English - Spanish Japanese - English Spanish - English English 日本語 Español latino 한국어 riot From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Crime & lawriotri‧ot1 /ˈraɪət/ ●●○ noun1[countable]SCPROTEST a situation in which a large crowd of people are behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way, especially when they are protesting about somethingurban riotsprison riotsHis murder triggered vicious race riots (=caused by a problem between different races).police wearing riot gear (=the special clothing and equipment worn by police officers during a riot)police in bullet-proof vests and carrying riot shields (=a piece of very hard plastic which police officers stand behind to protect them)2 →run riot3 →a riot of colour4 →read (somebody) the riot actCOLLOCATIONSverbscause a riotWhen the election results were announced, it caused riots in the capital.spark off a riot (=make it start)The incident sparked off a riot which lasted for three days.quell a riot (=use force to stop it)The police marched in to quell the riots.a riot begins/breaks out/eruptsRiots broke out last month following the verdict.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + riota prison riotThe prison riots were caused by bad physical conditions and poor security.race riots (=caused by a problem between different races)In 1967, there were race riots in a number of major American cities.urban/inner-city riotsThe urban riots forced the Government to invest in the inner cities.a serious/major riotThe jail was hit by a serious riot last year.a full-scale riot (=a serious riot, not only a little fighting)The disturbance escalated into a full-scale riot.riot + NOUNriot policeThe city deployed riot police to contain the demonstration. the riot squad (=a group of police who deal with riots)Then someone called the riot squad.Demonstrators clashed with 140 riot squad officers, drawn from the police and the British army.riot gear (=special clothing worn by police dealing with a riot)Almost 1,000 officers, many in riot gear, were needed to restore order.a riot shield (=a plastic shield used by a police officer)The police moved in on the demonstration using riot shields and tear gas.riot controlAll officers are trained in riot control.Examples from the Corpusriot• Riot police used tear gas against the protestors.• Riots erupted in the capital after police banned two anti-government demonstrations.• Wasn't there three thousand men in Tipperary last Saturday in a riot for work, outside this very building.• A peaceful rally turned into a riot after police fired into the crowd.• This guy is a riot.• Isn't that a riot?• A riot broke out after a police shooting of a local man.• And loyalists claim a second inmate was blinded for 48 hours after riot squad prison officers turned high-powered hose on his face.• Racial tension boiled over in the inner city riots which spread across the nation last week.• The violent communal riots of 1969 precipitated his resignation as Prime Minister in 1970.• Four days of unrest and anti-government riots left at least three people dead.• Police, many in riot gear, later separated the gangs.• Five days of rioting followed the police shooting of student leaders.• In 1943 there were violent race riots in Detroit in which 25 black people died.• Altogether the riots cost 130 lives and well over $700 million in property damage.• The army was called in to put down the riots.• More than 150 officers battled to end the riots outside the embassy.• By the time the riot was brought under control, the white bus was already back in Dresden.• There were riots in several cities after it was announced that the price of bread would rise by 200%.riot shields• Metal riot shields were introduced in 1970.• There were no plastic riot shields, no riot sticks or helmets, no water cannon and no mobile command posts available.• Pickets charged straight into the police riot shields.• It reached a peak as miners surged in against the riot shields.• Other demonstrators have managed to draw pink hearts on most of the riot shields.• Some of the pickets had wrenched riot shields away from the police.riotriot2 verb [intransitive]VIOLENTif a crowd of people riot, they behave in a violent and uncontrolled way, for example by fighting the police and damaging cars or buildingsUniversity students rioted in protest at tuition fees. —rioting noun [uncountable] —rioter noun [countable]→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpusriot• In the end, I think, they did not know how to riot.• In July 1834, rioting against abolitionists in New York City resulted in mass destruction of the black section.• Investors have been a tad nervous since indigenous people rioted for several days in March.• Gangs of youths rioted for two nights on the streets of the capital.• Prisoners in several jails have rioted in protest at their appalling conditions.• Hundreds of prisoners rioted on April 1 in the overcrowded prison.• The congress called on the government to reopen schools and Niamey University, closed following rioting on Feb. 27.• At the time of the shooting the students were not rioting or causing civil disruption.• Some, as you know, seek revenge - they riot, they take drugs and generally make damned nuisances of themselves.• When the pyramids began to collapse, crowds rioted throughout the small country and opposition activists demanded that the government step down.Originriot1(1100-1200)Old French“quarrel” Exercises Exercises
Vocabulary exercises help you to learn synonyms, collocations and idioms.
Intermediate and Advanced level grammar practice with progress tests.
Listening and pronunciation, exam preparation and more!
More results
race riot
riot police
run riot
a riot of colour
read (somebody) the riot act
See all results Pictures of the day What are these? Click on the pictures to check.
Explore topics
Gas, coal, oil
Society
Maths
Jail & punishment
See all topics Word of the day deliberately done in a way that is intended or planned Verb tableriot
Simple Form
Present
I, you, we, they
riot
he, she, it
riots
> View More
Past
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
rioted
Present perfect
I, you, we, they
have rioted
he, she, it
has rioted
Past perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
had rioted
Future
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
will riot
Future perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
will have rioted
> View Less
Continuous Form
Present
I
am rioting
he, she, it
is rioting
> View More
you, we, they
are rioting
Past
I, he, she, it
was rioting
you, we, they
were rioting
Present perfect
I, you, we, they
have been rioting
he, she, it
has been rioting
Past perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
had been rioting
Future
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
will be rioting
Future perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
will have been rioting
> View Less
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Copyright and legal Pearson Languages About LDOCE How to use